“Allah, the Almighty, has bestowed great barakat in business; there are no limits to its potential.”
~ al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS
Achieving your goals is the only way to get from where you are to where you want to go. It’s the ability to successfully carry out a task that positions your business for success. As a business owner, you know that certain tasks are worth more than others and it’s important that you have an l plan in place. One of the most effective and important concepts that exist in business today is how to set and reach short-term goals. The acronym “SMART” stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bounded. It is essential to learn this concept because getting your right goal is more likely to get you through difficult times.
If you don’t have a SMART goal for your project or idea, you can’t achieve it. You need to be able to identify what exactly you want to accomplish—and then come up with a way to measure whether or not that’s been accomplished.
A SMART goal is Specific: it identifies who will do what, where and when. For example, if you wanted to increase your sales by 10%, you would need to know how many sales were made last year and how much money each one generated; then you’d need to come up with an idea of how much more revenue could be generated if each sale brought in 10% more money. That would mean coming up with a plan for increasing revenue by 10% without sacrificing customer satisfaction or quality of service.
A SMART goal is Measurable: A smart goal is Measurable
This means that the goal should have some sort of way to track its progress. It could be an amount of money, the number of clients you want to get, or anything else that can be quantified.
You should be able to see if you’re achieving your goal by looking at numbers and statistics. You also don’t want to set a goal that’s too vague or hard to achieve—if it’s not clear what you need to do to reach your target, then it might as well not exist.
A SMART goal is Attainable:
This means that you can achieve it, and it’s realistic. If you were to set a goal for yourself that was too lofty or out of your reach, then you might feel disappointed when you don’t achieve it. This can be harmful to your motivation and your self-esteem.
By setting SMART goals, you’ll have something concrete to work towards, and you’ll know exactly what you need to do to reach it.
A SMART goal is Relevant:
When you’re developing a goal for your business, it should be relevant to the company and to the people who work there. It’s easy to get caught up in a big, lofty vision that seems like it would be amazing if you could achieve it—but if it’s not relevant to what you do, it’s not realistic to expect that you’ll be able to do it.
You should always be thinking about how your goals align with your purpose as a company and how they relate to what your team needs. You can’t just make goals out of thin air; they need to be rooted in reality and aligned with the way things are done today.
A SMART goal is Timely: A SMART goal is timely. A goal that is not time-sensitive is not a goal at all. It’s just a plan, and plans don’t always come to fruition.
You need to set a deadline for each goal you make, so you can be sure you’re working toward something concrete and measurable—and that you’re taking the steps needed to meet that deadline.
Example of SMART Goal
Specific: Increase sales revenue by 15% in the next quarter.
Measurable: Track progress through weekly reports on sales figures.
Achievable: Utilize marketing campaigns and promotions to attract new customers.
Relevant: Focus on expanding sales in high-potential market segments.
Time-bound: Achieve the goal within the next quarter.
Reviewing and Revising Your Goals
As you’re developing your business, it’s important to review and revise your goals regularly. These reviews are a great way to ensure that your goals remain relevant and achievable.
During development, you may find that some of the goals you originally set for yourself no longer make sense or are not as important as they once were. Additionally, some may have been achieved without much effort on your part and therefore no longer need to be included in your plan.
Reviewing and revising your goals will help keep them relevant and achievable, and will also help you stay focused on what’s most important for your business.
There is no question that smart goals are an effective way to measure your organization’s progress. Whether you have a small business or are part of a larger enterprise, using the SMART model can help boost your productivity and help you make better decisions for your business. Indeed, when setting goals for your organization, it is best to be as specific and measurable as possible—otherwise, you will end up with unrealistic expectations and little to show for all your hard work.